The 9 best supermarkets in Pedro Juan Caballero

For a weekly grocery run in Pedro Juan Caballero, pick a neighbourhood supermarket with parking and a solid fresh section rather than heading downtown: the microcentro is dominated by electronics and shopping malls, while supermarkets sit in the outer barrios (InfoNegocios, 2024⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Timing matters more than anything else, because Pedro Juan shares an open land border with Ponta Porã, Brazil, and many Brazilians cross just to do their grocery shopping.

Big supermarket or corner shop?

• Weekly shop: look for a store with its own car park, trolleys, and a butcher and produce section you can see. It saves you a second trip.
• Daily top-ups: bread, milk, soft drinks and ice are easier at the nearest despensa or small self-service shop. On hot days, close beats cheap.
• Before you decide, open your phone's map and search "supermercado" from home. Check the route you take after work, not the empty Sunday-morning one.

When are the checkout queues longest?

Pedro Juan lives off trade with Brazil. InfoNegocios notes that in this border town Brazilians cross even for supermarket shopping and small daily purchases (InfoNegocios, 2020⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), and you feel it at the tills.

• High season: the local chamber of commerce named November, December and January as the busiest months in its historical figures (InfoNegocios, 2020⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Sale weeks: supermarkets also take part in the border Black Friday (InfoNegocios, 2024⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). In 2026 it ran from 18 to 20 September with more than 100 shops in Pedro Juan and more than 40 in Ponta Porã (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). The June 2026 Crazy Week expected over 50,000 shoppers, about 25,000 on the Saturday alone (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• What to do: if a promo weekend is coming, do your big shop before it, on a weekday. Follow your supermarket's social pages for the dates.

How to pay: guaraníes, reais, card or Pix?

At the border you will see customers paying in both currencies, but each shop sets its own rules.

• Ask at the till before you fill the trolley whether they take reais and at what rate, or whether guaraníes work out better.
• Pix: paying by Pix is spreading in Paraguayan shops, especially in Ciudad del Este and Pedro Juan Caballero. It runs on card machines from Brazilian companies that generate a QR code; the customer pays in reais from a banking app, with IOF tax and the current exchange rate applied (Campo Grande News, 2025⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Ask for the total in reais before you scan.
• Cards: carry some cash in case the terminal is down at peak time.

How to judge the fresh food

• Visit the butcher and produce sections mid-morning on a weekday, after restocking and before the crowds.
• Check use-by dates on dairy and cold cuts at the back of the fridge, not just the front row.
• Leave frozen goods for last and bring a cool bag; the drive home in the heat is long enough to soften them.

Short list before you go

• A written list by section (fresh, pantry, cleaning).
• Reusable bags and a cool bag.
• Cash in guaraníes, a card and, if you live in Ponta Porã, your banking app ready.
• A screenshot of the supermarket's weekly offers.
• If you are driving in from Concepción or Asunción on Route 5 (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), do the big shop last so the bags do not sit in the car.